Food for the Summit; empty plates for citizens
By Joseph Turay
Sierra Leone is preparing to host the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on 19 July 2026, placing the country at the centre of West African diplomacy as regional leaders gather to deliberate on security, democratic governance, economic integration and the future of the 12-member bloc.
The summit, to be chaired by President Julius Maada Bio, follows a series of statutory meetings that began with the 39th Session of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee (AFC), which opened on 12 July 2026 at the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown. Ministers, diplomats and senior officials from across West Africa have been meeting ahead of the arrival of Heads of State.
A major highlight of the summit preparations is the newly constructed President Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi, which is scheduled to be officially commissioned on 18 July, one day before the ECOWAS Heads of State Summit opens.
On 12 July, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh led a high-level government delegation to inspect the facility and assess its readiness for the regional gathering. Accompanying him were Finance Minister Fantamadi Bangura, Secretary to the President Baba Fortune, Planning Minister Kenyeh Ballay, OPII Chairman Dr. Eldred Taylor, alongside officials from the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State House Protocol, the Sierra Leone Airports Authority and the security sector.
During the inspection, officials toured the main plenary hall, bilateral meeting rooms, media centre, ICT hub, VVIP lounges, exhibition spaces and support facilities. According to project officials, the conference centre has a main hall capable of seating more than 1,200 delegates, complete with simultaneous interpretation booths, advanced audio-visual technology and facilities designed to international conference standards. The media centre has capacity for more than 100 journalists and is equipped to support live international broadcasts.
Speaking after the inspection, Vice President Jalloh described the conference centre as a landmark national investment that would not only host the ECOWAS summit but also position Sierra Leone to attract future African Union meetings, United Nations conferences and other international events.
He said the project reflected the government’s broader vision of strengthening diplomacy, promoting tourism and stimulating economic opportunities.
Government officials also highlighted the strategic location of the conference centre in Lungi, close to Freetown International Airport, arguing that it provides delegates with easier access while supporting the long-term ambition of developing Lungi into a conference, logistics and tourism hub.
For the government, hosting the ECOWAS summit represents an opportunity to showcase Sierra Leone’s growing diplomatic profile and demonstrate its ability to organise major international events.
But as the country prepares to welcome regional leaders, many Sierra Leoneans continue to ask a different question:
At what cost, and who ultimately benefits?
Responding to public concerns over expenditure, Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah told journalists that the government’s investment exceeded US$100 million.
According to the minister, the figure covers the construction of the President Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre, a new hotel built to support conference tourism, and the costs associated with hosting approximately 600 delegates from across the ECOWAS region and other parts of the world.
The government has defended the expenditure as a strategic long-term investment, arguing that the conference centre, hotel and supporting infrastructure are national assets that will continue attracting international conferences, investors and tourists long after the ECOWAS summit concludes.
Nevertheless, the announcement has intensified public debate over spending priorities.
The issue is not whether regional diplomacy matters. It undoubtedly does.
The question many Sierra Leoneans continue to ask is whether spending more than US$100 million on an international summit represents the best use of scarce public resources at a time when the country continues to face severe economic hardship.
Across Sierra Leone, households continue to struggle with rising food prices, high transport costs, persistent electricity shortages and limited employment opportunities. Small businesses are weighed down by increasing operating costs, while many young graduates remain unemployed.
These realities have prompted citizens to ask whether similar levels of investment could have been directed towards healthcare, education, agriculture, electricity generation, water supply and job creation.
SLPP Supporters and government officials of the summit argue that hosting such a prestigious gathering enhances Sierra Leone’s international reputation, strengthens diplomatic relationships and creates opportunities for future investment, tourism and conference business. Hotels, restaurants, transport operators and local suppliers are also expected to benefit from increased international activity.
Those are legitimate arguments.
However, diplomatic prestige alone does not reduce the cost of living, create sustainable employment, improve hospitals or provide reliable electricity.
Public confidence ultimately depends on whether citizens experience meaningful improvements in their daily lives.
Transparency therefore becomes essential.
Citizens have a legitimate right to know how public funds were spent, how procurement contracts were awarded and what measurable economic returns the government expects from such a significant investment.
The debate surrounding the ECOWAS summit also raises broader questions about legacy.
Government has expressed confidence that the new infrastructure will position Sierra Leone as a destination for future international conferences and investment.
Whether those ambitions become reality will depend not only on the successful hosting of this summit but on the country’s ability to sustain the facilities, attract future events and translate diplomatic visibility into lasting economic opportunities for its citizens.
History offers an important perspective. More than four decades ago, Sierra Leone hosted a summit of the former Organisation of African Unity (OAU), remembered both for its diplomatic significance and for the debate surrounding its economic cost and long-term legacy.
ECOWAS itself also occupies a special place in Sierra Leone’s history. During the country’s civil war, the regional bloc, through the ECOMOG peacekeeping force, played a pivotal role in helping restore constitutional order following the 1999 invasion of Freetown.
That history gives Sierra Leone’s hosting of the summit significance beyond protocol and ceremony.
As Sierra Leone prepares for the official commissioning of the President Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre on 18 July and the opening of the ECOWAS Heads of State Summit on 19 July, attention will eventually shift from diplomatic ceremony to governance.
Citizens will judge the summit not by the photographs of presidents or the communiqués issued from conference halls, but by whether electricity becomes more reliable, jobs become more plentiful, healthcare improves, agriculture expands and the cost of living becomes more manageable.
International conferences last only a few days.
The economic realities confronting ordinary Sierra Leoneans are permanent.
Hosting regional leaders is an honour.
Transforming that honour into lasting economic development will be the true measure of success long after the final delegation has departed.
